Pottstown Rumble: Juniors tournament starts weekend of volleyball

Olympic Gold Medalist Misty May-Treanor signs an autograph for Lizzie Acchione left and her teammate Cara Shultz center after the team won first place in the 12 and under division during the Dream in Gold youth tournament Friday. Photo by John Strickler/The Mercury

POTTSTOWN — The neatly manicured grass courts and multicolored neon nets in Memorial Park got more use Friday during the Dream in Gold Juniors Tournament.

Nearly 100 doubles teams signed up to play in the first juniors tournament at the Rumble, according to Rick Hanson, the director of project management for the Pottstown Rumble.

Hanson said the largest age group was the 18-and-under girls.

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Supporters camped out to watch their children play under umbrellas, tents and canopies that sprayed water periodically. There were folding chairs, blankets and battery powered fans to keep the players and their family members cool between matches.

But for one family, when they come to the Rumble, everyone plays.

This year, Maria Recchi brought her 12-year-old daughter Gabby from Seattle to play in the juniors tournament.

Recchi, a Barto native, and her sister, will play tomorrow.

“It’s one of the best tournaments ever,” Recchi said. “It’s been a tradition that I come back and play every year with my sisters,” she said.

She said that it is a fun, family experience.

“I used to play with the staff when we used to set up nets after work,” she said.

Gabby Recchi sported a matching heather gray Pottstown Rumble tank top with her partner Summer Hanley. The pair competed in the 12-and-under division.

Both girls participated in the clinic Thursday and said they benefited from the one-on-one time they received from Olympic gold medalist Misty May-Treanor, who is in Pottstown for the Rumble.

Hanley, who goes to Lower Pottsgrove Elementary school, just started playing volleyball.

“I like to bump,” she said. “It’s easy to do and that is the main part of when you are trying to do volleyball.”

Hanley said that her school does not have any athletics but she wants to keep playing. She said she had fun learning from May-Treanor in the clinic.

“I thought it was cool because it was first time do a real clinic and playing, technically,” Hanley said.

“I got to learn from a professional and that was really cool,” Gabby Recchi, 12, said about learning from May-Treanor. “It helped me because I haven’t played for a while. It helped me get back into the sport for today.”

Recchi said May-Treanor helped her with serving and with passing. She plays for her school team in Seattle, and knows she will take what May-Treanor taught her into the next season.

Both girls were are the Rumble for the first time.

“I’m looking forward to having fun,” Recchi said. “It may be a competition but I want to have fun while I’m here. Why stress over a competition if you can’t have fun.”

Maria Recchi said her 16-year-old daughter was playing in a tournament in California over the weekend, but has been to the Rumble in the past.

“I think that the twos game really improves your skills,” she said about the style of play people will see at the Rumble. “(The ball is) yours or your partners.”

“I would tell them that it is a good sport to do and you should try it sometime,” Hanley wanted to tell kids who want to try volleyball.

There were others like Hanley who were just starting their volleyball career, while others honed their well-developed skills.

Two girls relaxed under a giant canopy in matching neon pink and green tank tops while they waited for their match to start.

Amanda Gerhart, 16, and Justine Pantaleo, 15, came to the borough from Delaware. They both play for the Brandywine Volleyball Club in Wilmington.

The pair heard about the tournament from their coach, who then put the two girls together.

“There is more space to play and you get to play all the skills,” Gerhart said. She usually plays the left side of the court at home.

Pantaleo said there were approximately 10 other members of their club at the tournament.

Most of the games were running smoothly, and Hanson said he hadn’t heard many complaints from players or parents, but the “old school” rules did challenge some players.

Maria Recchi said one of the most important things players had to remember was the change about open-hand setting.

Recchi said that because these players are often on indoor six-player teams, they are used to using an open-hand set for the first move after the ball crossing the net. In the rules being used by the tournament and the Pottstown Rumble, an open-hand set can only be used on the second hit and not to send the ball over the net.

Despite the rule differences, and competitive edge, players and spectators were enjoying a volleyball filled day.

There was no stopping the influx of spectators and players once the tournament began and if the crowd Friday could be used as an indicator for the rest of the weekend, fans should plan to come early on Saturday and Sunday.